Enigma Lost
by mushakin
Summary: Set during the events of Mass Effect 3. Shepard and her crew pick up a distress signal from a colony attacked by the Reapers. They find the severely wounded Lieutenant Athena Moreau. Vega and Athena get along well, but she doesn't seem to trust Shepard. Will she join Shepard's crew or continue on her own mission? And how far will Shepard go to find out what that mission is?
1. Gone

By human standards Enigma was quite a large colony. But it was not only inhabited by humans but also by turians and asari. It was started as a government project to prove that different species could work and live together. It was a huge success. Enigma was now the colony with the fastest growth and the best infrastructure. It was built along the coast. Skyscrapers dominated the skyline, while the mansions of Enigma's elite dotted the seafront. In times of peace it had been full of life. Ships both military and commercial came and went. Thousands of people went about their business in the busy streets of downtown. Now they were all gone.

Athena looked out onto the bay. From the ridge, that separated the large houses of the rich from the rest of the city, she could see the destruction the Reapers had left behind. The last few hours had been chaos. Aside from herself there had only been a handful of trained soldiers, that she could find, plus a few police and security officers to help the civilians escape from the attack of the Reapers. She had been visiting her mother, asari stepmother and stepsister when the attack began. Immediately she had rushed to the heart of the attack, hoping her family would be able to escape without her help. She had to stay behind, to make sure as many people left as possible.

She looked up into the sky. Just moments before there had been hundreds of shuttles and space crafts of all sizes leaving orbit. Only a few still remained in the docks and garages but none for her. She had decided what she had to do: To stay behind and kill as many of those monsters as humanly possible. "So much for shore leave", she sighed and turned to walk back to the city. There she would find the remnants of the attackers. Danger had never really scared Athena off, rather it would pull her in. The idea that no one else but her could manage it had always lured her into doing reckless, careless and sometimes stupid things. What she was about to do was the stupidest thing she had ever done.

Athena pulled her last energy bar out of her pocket. Her biotics had to be at maximum. As she walked towards the large steel and concrete buildings she checked her ammo. She was running low but it didn't matter. She intended to rip the invaders apart with her mass effect fields, to let out all her anger on them. Next she looked over her armor. It was scratched and scraped in many places. The dark blue colour gone to reveal the silver sheen of the metal beneath. But it was holding together and she knew her barrier would be more important anyway. Carefully picking her way around the rubble and dead bodies, she scanned the area. In the distance she could hear a faint beeping noise, maybe a distress signal. She had never considered that someone might have managed to turn on the beacon. But she tried not to think about it. Hoping to be rescued might hold her back.

Suddenly, she saw something move off to the left. At least a hundred of the Reapers mutations were coming towards her. She dashed to cover, loaded her shotgun and heavy pistol and took a deep breath. A biotic charge catapulted her forward. Bullets were flying around her head. She opened fire. Her biotics and aimed shotgun blasts killed dozens of them but there were too many. She was surrounded, closed in. She charged up her barrier. Her next move would leave her vulnerable but it might just give her enough time to find cover to reload. A blue aura of dark energy was spreading over her entire body. Then she slammed her fist to the ground. A shock wave erupted flinging husks into the air and knocking down anything larger. Right in that moment, when her barrier was gone, a bullet hit her directly above her hip on the left side and went straight through. She scrambled for cover trying to stop the bleeding but she had used up all her medigel on injured civilians. She gritted her teeth and looked up into the sky. There on the horizon was a small spot that was getting larger. The closer it got the more it started to look like a shuttle. Could it really be? Had someone heard the distress signal? She could see it more clearly now. It was a blue Alliance shuttle. Her vision was getting blurry, she was losing too much blood. She tried to stop the flow but it just ran through her fingers. The shuttle was landing. A woman and two men in heavy armor stepped out and instantly opened fire on the reaper forces. She just managed to hear the woman say, "Vega get her into the shuttle!", and then she passed out.


	2. Awake

**So... two reviews have pointed to/asked about the fact that Athena and Joker have the same last names. Well, all shall be explained in chapter 4. I am aware that they are both Moreaus. :)**

* * *

"I stitched up the wound but she's lost a lot of blood, Shepard. All we can do now is wait for her to wake up", Dr. Chakwas turned around and walked back to her desk.  
Commander Jane Shepard looked down at the soldier they had rescued. She was rather small, about 5'2". Her long auburn hair was tangled and covered in dust, dirt and blood. She looked young too, she couldn't be any older than 25.  
"Have you been able to find out anything about her?" Shepard asked without looking up.  
"Not much. Her dog tags say she's Lieutenant Athena Moreau. I looked her up in the Alliance database but a lot of her information is classified." Chakwas looked thoughtful, "She looks a bit too young to be a Lieutenant."  
Shepard nodded, "I was thinking the same thing. Also, why is so much of her data secret?"  
Dr. Chakwas shook her head. "Your guess is as good as mine."  
"I suppose we'll just have to ask her ourselves. Tell me when she wakes up", Shepard sighed and exited the med bay.

Athena's head throbbed, she could barely breath. Her left side felt like it was on fire. She tried opening her eyes. Everything around her was white, sterile. She was in the med bay of a ship that much was obvious to her. But how had she gotten there? Suddenly her memory came flooding back. The Reaper attack, the panic and chaos, her last stand and the shuttle. 'They must have brought me here', she thought. But who were 'they'. She tried to sit up but every time she moved it felt like someone was stabbing her.

There was a woman sitting at a desk on the other side of the room. She had grey hair and was wearing a standard medical uniform.  
While Athena was looking at her, she turned and smiled, "Welcome back to the land of the living. I'm Dr. Karin Chakwas."  
"Where am I?" Athena croaked. Only then did she realize how dry her throat was.  
"On the SSV Normandy. Do you feel up to answering a few questions? Commander Shepard would like to have a word with you."  
"Only if I can have some water first."

Athena had heard of the Normandy and the famous Commander Jane Shepard. She was the galaxy's biggest hero but Athena didn't trust her. She always had a hard time believing that public figures could be genuine or honest. And she had heard that Shepard had worked with Cerberus to destroy the Collectors. Athena hated Cerberus and all their so called 'pro-human' ideals. Even if Shepard had re-joined the Alliance, the fact remained that she had worked with a terrorist group.

After the doctor had helped Athena sit up and had given her a glass of water and some kind of protein bar, she walked over to the comm and informed Shepard that she could come to the med bay.

The door opened and the Commander came in. She was tall and slender, yet obviously very well trained. A few strands of her red, chin length hair fell into her emerald green eyes. She stepped forward, grabbed a chair and sat down next to the bed Athena was laying on.

"I'm guessing by now you already know that I'm Commander Jane Shepard and I already know that you're Lieutenant Athena Moreau. But names don't say very much about the person they belong to, do they." Athena blinked. That was not what she had expected to hear. She didn't know what to say, so she just nodded.  
"Once the doctor says you can get up, I'll give you a tour of the ship but for now I'd just like a few answers." Athena stared at the Commander. She didn't really want to answer any questions, all she wanted was to sleep until the pain in her side stopped.  
"So, Lieutenant, how old are you? You seem a bit young to be an officer."  
"I'm 20", Athena had decided to simply keep her answers as short as possible.

"Wow", Shepard's eyes widened, "How'd you manage to become a Lieutenant in only two years?"  
Athena looked up at the ceiling, "I enlisted a little earlier than most and I didn't start at zero."  
The Commander was being friendly enough but Athena tried to keep her face as blank as possible. Shepard shifted around a little.  
"You got any family Lieutenant?" Athena narrowed her eyes. She didn't like talking about her family, especially to people she didn't know. But what choice did she have? Commander Shepard was her superior and Athena was on her ship. She looked down at her hands, which were folded in her lap.  
"My father died when I was a kid. My mom remarried to an asari and they have a daughter. They lived on Enigma. I..."

Athena stopped abruptly. She could feel a lump forming in her throat. She swallowed hard, "I don't know if they got away, or if they're..."  
"...dead?" Shepard finished her sentence. She felt sorry for the young woman. "I can try to find out for you. But I'd need their names", Shepard pulled out her datapad and gave Athena a reassuring look. She swallowed again. She was finding it hard to breath. Could she trust Shepard? But she needed to know if her family had escaped, if they were alive.  
"Elanor Moreau is my mother. Her wife's name is Tenna, I'm not sure about her last name. My sister's name is Persephone." Athena let out a small laugh but instantly regretted it as sharp pain shot through her side, "My mom had a thing for ancient Greek mythology."  
Shepard smiled and nodded.

After she had typed the names Shepard put down the datapad and looked at Athena. The Commander seemed to understand that she didn't want to talk. "Well, I guess I should let you get some rest. We'll talk again later." Shepard gave Athena's shoulder a light squeeze. She didn't know what to make of the small, friendly gesture. Was Shepard trying to manipulate her or really just being nice? She decided to simply stare down at her hands until the doors had closed behind the Commander.

Athena lied back and rested her head on the pillow. She thought about the conversation she had just had. Shepard would want to know more from her. Things that wouldn't be as easy to answer. But she decided not to think about it, instead she closed her eyes and drifted off to sleep.


	3. Classified

After almost two days of drifting in and out of consciousness Dr. Chakwas allowed Athena to stand up.

She sat up and turned so her feet dangled over the edge of her bed. Carefully she lowered herself down. Her bare feet touched the cold metal floor. The doctor had given her some kind of painkiller but when she put all her weight on her legs they felt wobbly and her side ached.

She gritted her teeth and stood up straight. She limped over to Chakwas who was waiting for her a few feet away.  
"You're doing well Lieutenant!" Chakwas encouraged her. The doctor helped Athena wash her hair, she was amazed at all the blood and dirt that clogged the drain of the sink, but now her hair fell in shiny auburn waves past her shoulders. Then she changed into an Alliance uniform.  
Chakwas gave her a stern look, "You're recovering very well and I have nothing against you walking around a little. But I want you to stay in the med bay as much as possible and sleep here too. Wounds like yours can be tricky sometimes."  
Athena nodded.

The sound of the door opening behind her made Athena jump, which sent a sharp stab trough her side. Shepard came in starring at her datapad. The look on her face was one of frustrated concentration.  
"How are you Lieutenant?", Shepard didn't stop working on her little device.  
"Better, thanks", Athena said absentmindedly wondering what the Commander was doing. Finally Shepard looked up. Athena started to feel worried, the Commander looked sad.  
Shepard sighed, "So far your sister is the only member of your family who is accounted for. She registered on the Citadel. It says here an aunt of hers claimed her. Does that make sense to you?"  
Athena nodded. She remembered Tenna mentioning she had a sister who lived on the Citadel.  
"What about my mother?"  
Shepard hesitated, then said, "Missing, presumed dead."

Athena suddenly felt dizzy. She had to steady herself by grabbing the edge of the doctor's desk.  
"There's a statement from your sister which says that your mother and umm… stepmother refused to get onto a shuttle before everyone else was safe."

Her eyes started to sting.

She sat down and pressed her palms into her eyes trying to disguise the tears. A mixture of anger and grief started to rise up within her. It was her job to stay behind, her job to make sure everyone got away, not her mother's.

"Lieutenant?" Shepard's voice brought her back to reality, "I wish I had better news for you. I'll keep you informed." The commander turned to leave.  
"Wait!" Athena could only manage one question, "Will you be going to the Citadel any time soon? It's just... I'd like to make sure my sister is alright." She tried to say it with as little emotion as possible.

"We have a few other things we have to do first, but we should be going there sometime in the next few weeks." Athena noticed that the commander sounded tired but then she smiled and left the med bay.

Athena tried to concentrate on what was important. Her sister, making sure her sister was okay. That was her purpose now, her new mission

"Lieutenant?" Dr. Chakwas sounded worried but Athena barely heard her. She was still trying to process Shepard's news. She suddenly had an image in her mind of her little sister standing in one of the docking bays on the Citadel, staring at the stars and waiting for a shuttle that would never come.

She closed her eyes, stood up and walked to the back of the med bay. The door to the AI Core wasn't locked and she needed to be alone. The soft hum of the processors and cooling systems helped calm her and for the first time in years she let her tears flow freely.

She was back in the Med Bay. Sitting on a chair, lost in thought and half listening to what the Doctor was saying, "Healing well ... no signs of infection ... recovering blood loss ... need to be careful ... don't use biotics." The last bit caught Athena's attention.

"Why? I thought you said it's healing well." Athena snapped out the question a little harsher than she had meant to. She didn't like to be told what she could and couldn't do, but she knew the doctor was right. Of course she would never admit it, but her side still felt like someone was stabbing her with a knife.

Chakwas took a deep breath, then sighed and explained, "Well, a wound like yours, which goes straight through, can seem to be healed on the outside before the inside is healing at all. So if you aren't careful you might rip it open again or cause inner bleeding."  
Athena nodded, she didn't like what she heard. She hated feeling vulnerable. Having an obvious injury was bad enough, she was not going to let anyone know what a mess she was inside.

The doctor continued to write something on her computer, but then she turned and looked at Athena with a furrowed brow. Athena simply raised her eyebrows slightly.

"Lieutenant, may I ask you something?", Chakwas picked up a datapad as she spoke. Athena just nodded and the doctor continued, "While I was fixing you up I naturally checked you for other injuries. I did find a few bruises and cuts of course, but I was most surprised by your numerous scars."  
Chakwas paused to take a breath and see how Athena would react but she simply said, "So? Most soldiers have scars."

Doctor Chakwas cleared her throat, "That is true, but yours are quite impressive in size and number especially because your medical file is very vague about all your previous injuries."  
Athena crossed her arms in front of her chest, "Are any of them affecting my current injuries?"  
"Well, no but…"  
"Good", Athena interrupted, "as soon as any of them become a problem, I'll tell you all about them."

Athena could see that doctor Chakwas wasn't going to push the matter further, so she went back into the AI Core to be alone for a while.

Some time later Athena was sitting at the desk in the med bay when Shepard came again. Dr. Chakwas had just left to get something to eat. The commander sat down in the chair next to Athena and cleared her throat.

"Lieutenant, I'd like to ask you a few questions. When we're done I'll give you that tour I promised."  
Whatever Athena held against Shepard, she had to admit that she didn't beat around the bush. She had noticed the Commander's ability to filter out the unnecessary and get straight to the point. But she still had reservations towards her. She had no reason to trust Shepard and she wasn't even sure how much she was allowed to say. A big part of her information was classified and for a good reason. She decided it would be best to see what the commander wanted to know and then figure out how much she should and could say. She nodded but kept her thoughts and emotions hidden.

"When we first found you we tried to find out who you are. Your dog tags made knowing your name easy, but when I pulled up your file from the Alliance database almost all of your data was classified. Even with my Spectre status I could only clear a few blocks. Can you tell me why that is?"  
Athena had to weigh her options. She didn't know how much Shepard had found out or how much Shepard was allowed to know. She would tell the truth, that much was certain for her. But the whole truth?

"It's a long story, Commander. It might be easier and more efficient if you ask me more specific questions." That would also make it easier for her to decide how much to say.  
Shepard narrowed her eyes just a little. Athena wasn't sure if she was just thinking or was somehow annoyed by her answer.  
"Well, let's start with your training then." Athena felt frustration building up inside her, but was careful not to show it. Already the first question would be difficult.

Her training had been unique to say the least. It also hadn't been entirely legal. She herself and her family had never broken the law but some of the choices the Alliance made for her hadn't been sanctioned from above and telling her full story could get a lot of people into trouble. She decided to give Shepard the short form, to leave out all of the names and most of the details.

"I grew up on Enigma, my parents noticed my biotic abilities when I was very young. They got me an implant and asked an asari matriarch to train me when I was only five. By the time I was seven I could already pick up both my parents at the same time and at nine I could easily break reinforced glass. When I was twelve the Alliance showed interest in my abilities and offered to give me special training, free of charge. The only catch was, that I had to go to Earth, which meant leaving my home and my family behind. I didn't see my mother for almost four years after that." Athena cleared her throat, she found herself saying more than she had meant to.

"What do mean by 'special training'?" Athena was surprised to see a frown on Shepard's face. She wondered what the commander was thinking.  
She swallowed, then continued, "Well, for starters, I was the only student and even though I was on Earth, only one of my instructors was human. He supervised all of my training, explained every aspect of the Alliance and gave me lessons in diplomacy and combat strategies. An asari taught me biotic and hand-to-hand combat skills, a turian instructed me in military drills and told me everything there is to know about fire-arms, hand-held and otherwise, and a salarian tried to teach me sciences, but all I really remembered were the parts I could use in combat situations."

"Those being?"

"Oh, things like anatomy, basic physics and military mechanics. It can be very useful to know your opponents weak spots and how to use the environment to your advantage. Anyway, after four years of that I unofficially was enlisted in the Alliance navy. My mom came to Earth for my quasi graduation."

Shepard shook her head, "Wait, wait. You finished your training when you were sixteen? Somehow it doesn't really seem very responsible of the Alliance to send a sixteen-year-old into combat." The commander raised an eyebrow and crossed her arms over her chest.  
Athena was feeling frustrated again. The Commander was questioning her abilities, even though Shepard had only seen her in action once and that one time she had been injured. It was getting harder and harder for her to hide her anger but she tried to continue as evenly as possible.  
"Actually, I was fifteen the first time I was in combat. Mind you, I was surrounded by other Alliance soldiers that time and never got very close to the actual front." Athena couldn't help but smile a little, but Shepard's expression had changed to a frown again.

She shifted around in her chair, leaned forward and looked Athena directly in the eyes. "Lieutenant, can you tell me exactly what kind of assignments you were sent on?" Her tone was almost accusatory, but Athena was relieved. She had finally found a way out of this conversation. Even if she had wanted to say, she couldn't give Shepard any information about her assignments without explicit permission from Admiral Hackett. Of all the data in her file, her missions were the most classified.

"I'm sorry Commander, but I can't tell you that without speaking to my superiors first. Do you have any other questions?"

"Just one thing: Of all your information the only thing I could read in full was your list of promotions, recommendations and distinctions and it's as long as the Normandy. So, what I want to know, is if you would like to join my team." Athena was surprised. From Shepard's somewhat cold demeanour towards her, she had expected the Commander to want her to leave as soon as possible, but she had to admit that staying on the Normandy sounded appealing. "I'll have to think about it, commander. But I need is to speak to my CO first."

"And who would that be?"

"Admiral Hackett."

Before Shepard could reply, the med bay door opened and a very muscular man wearing an Alliance Marines t-shirt walked in. "Hey, Lola. You're needed in the conference room, the salarian ...", he trailed off, because he had suddenly noticed Athena sitting across from the Commander. He now stood in the doorway, frozen mid-sentence. Shepard looked from him to Athena, who simply stared him down, and back again obviously trying to suppress a smile.

"Thanks James. I promised Lieutenant Moreau that I would give her a tour of the ship. Could you take over for me?", the Commander left the med bay and smiled to herself as the doors closed behind her.


End file.
